Independent Network

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

On the Access Database, IN has allocated Postcodes to ‘political’ areas (essentially constituencies or counties), but these can be amended at any time. They can be small or large. We would like to appoint an Area Co-ordinator for each Political Area.

The Area Co-ordinator is the key person in the Political Area for supporting and encouraging Independent Candidates.

There are four things we ask an Area Co-ordinator to do, and a list of things which can be done as and when there is time and resource:

A. As the Area Co-ordinator you are a Member of the IN Forum, and we ask that you receive emails from the National Co-ordinator and respond to them if you have something to contribute. These Forum emails will relate to decisions and ideas that are being considered. There cannot be any 'voting' as we have no such structure, but it is the task of the National Co-ordinator to try and find a consensus that enables actions to be taken.

B. As the Area Co-ordinator, you may receive emails from IN specific to your area. We ask that if you are unable to take any action on these emails that you let us know so we can try and ensure we respond to all enquirers; it would also be helpful to know any feedback from direct contact. You may also have requests from IN, and we will do what we can to respond quickly.

C. We ask that as a first task you enlist a few locally elected Independent Councillors or committed supporters to act as your 'Area Council of Reference'. We ask that you tell us who these people are, and they should be people who are well known in the area, and willing to commit publically to the recruitment of more Independent candidates. They should ideally be people who have been elected as Independents, and not those who have defected from a party. These are people who simply agree to be consulted by you for advice when people ask to be considered as election candidates. There may well be other local issues where the support of such a Council of Reference will be invaluable to you. The number on this Council will rather depend on how many Councillors there are in your Area, and how many interested supporters there are. IN would like to name these people on the national website.

D. We ask that you do whatever you reasonably can to promote the advantages of elected independents, and do whatever you can to recruit suitable candidates to stand in elections as independents.

These are the four key tasks of an Area Co-ordinator, and the following are suggestions for what you could do if you have the time available:

1.The Ward is the basic building block in our democracy, so have a working knowledge of the Wards in your Area. This may sound daunting, so start with what you do know, and over time build up a local picture.

2.Identify community groups who may be interested in supporting one of their own to stand as an Independent. These could be Residents Associations, School PTAs, Sports Clubs, Faith Communities, Civic Societies, U3A, or special interest campaign groups.

3.Coach good candidates and encourage them in their campaign. It is a long game, and they may not win the first time. Try and manage their expectations, and constantly remind them that the odds are stacked against them but they can win if they work hard on getting known, knocking on doors, meeting groups and key individuals, and communicating with the voters in as many different ways as possible.

4.Make sure each candidate already knows who the ten people are who will sign their Nomination Form. It is important they are well-known, respected people in the community. They may also be useful in encouraging others to stand. People will judge a candidate by the people (or organisations) who publically support them.

5.As Area Co-ordinator, in conjunction with your Council of Reference, you can ‘endorse’ local candidates for IN, but for good order we suggest you submit the names to the Forum for national approval. Any difficulties will have to be resolved by the Forum, or the National Co-ordinator, until we can put in place some structure at the 2014 Autumn Conference.

6.Feed back to IN office anything that might be useful to go on the website or to the National media.

7.Some people do not like the idea of a 'brand', but people have a perception of what an Independent is or should be, and this is the 'brand'. Where this perception is a 'good' one, we need to reinforce it and try and convince others to have a 'good' perception. Where this perception is a 'bad' one, perhaps thinking that Independents are eccentrics and unelectable, we need to work to change this 'bad' perception.

8.We will be calling the IN Areas 'Barsetshire Independent Network', or 'East Herts Independent Network'. This should not conflict with anything, but some Independents will not want to be grouped with others, and we have to be sensitive to that. In time we hope there will be general acceptance that we can do better together, and it may be that other Areas will be willing to adopt this name: so 'Barset Independent Network' rather than 'Better Barset' or 'Barset Independents'. All of this will take time, but we would hope that the Area Co-ordinators will do what they can to argue for the benefits of being together and being linked together.

9.Try and find a team of working supporters, not necessarily elected Councillors or potential candidates, to share the work not only at election time, but in the difficult periods between elections when the foundation building work needs to be done.

10. Make special efforts to connect with young people in schools, colleges and universities. Offer speakers to Politics clubs, or school assemblies. Try and recruit young people with energy and time to help your candidates during the election period, as a means of learning about the democratic process.

11.Consider organising Hustings at election time.

12.Consider at election time putting up an Area website listing all the Candidates in a Ward and their Manifestoes, and publicising this beforehand as a service to the community. IN office can help on this.

13.Liase with the IN office if you need help with websites or social media. If you have a volunteer, consider having a page for a Ward on 'Ward Times' - details on how to do this, and to get a password to put up articles for your Ward, from Nick in the IN office.

14.Share ideas and experiments with IN so that we can share this with other Area Co-ordinators. What worked? What did not work? What were the reasons?

15.Keep a Diary or record of what you do, so that you can hand this on to a successor when the time comes.

16.Funding We have no funds at present, so this is all being done by unpaid volunteers. This is not sustainable, but we need to take things a step at a time. When we have a national structure in place, we can consider asking people for financial help, but this will be difficult until people can see what they are getting for their donation or subscription. We cannot realistically ask people for money if they cannot see what they are getting. So IN national office will (a) get as many Area Co-ordinators and Councils of Reference in place as we can (b) try and do something for the London Boroughs next summer (c) draft a Business Plan and Costings for the next two years and then (d) as we come to the elections, use that as a platform to try and sign people up and get funding. The funding is essentially for staff and office costs, and for PR and Media help.

17.As a member of the Forum, the input of the Area Co-ordinator is vital on this key issue of funding, and all ideas will be most welcome.

18.Data protection: we will try and negotiate one Licence with the ICO to cover all Area Co-ordinators. We will therefore need to know what sort of records you are keeping; we do not need a copy, but we will need to know what fields are in your database.

19.We need to emphasise that we start at the bottom and build up: the Ward is the basic unit of democracy in the UK, and we start there, not the constituency. It is impossible to come from nowhere and be elected to Parliament or the European Parliament. We should spend the next five years building the grass roots, and then suggest to our best that it is worth having a shot at Parliament.

Monday, 6 January 2014

There were a whole
range of discussions at the Conference, and this is a possible way forward:

1.A
Party? There was no majority
for the formation of a Party.

a.The advantages of being a Party put forward
were (a) name and emblem on Ballot Paper (b) media focus and (c) raise national
awareness.

b.There was however support for (a) an umbrella
organisation (b) a professional body upholding standards (c) a resource centre
for candidates and (d) a point of contact for the media.

2.At present we have:

a.a Company
(Independent Network Campaign Ltd) Reg No 07096039, a registered Third Party
with the Electoral Commission. Brian Ahearne owns the shares and is the sole
director. [Jim Thornton has now been
appointed a Director]

b.We have a Council
of Reference, to which we could add some more names.

c.We have an Executive
of three, of which only one (Jim Thornton) is currently active. The three
members were nominated from the floor at a meeting before the last General
Election, so they were ‘elected’ by those who attended the meeting (including
Martin Bell and Esther Rantzen) who were interested in standing for Parliament.

d.The Executive does not have a Chair, there is
no ‘Leader’ of IN.

3.Secretaries:
We could call those who have
positions in IN as ‘Secretaries’ – people who serve and support, not people who
lead and instruct. Is there a better name? [Agreed
we go with ‘Co-ordinator’]

a.So we now need to find Area Coordinators who
would work on a voluntary basis as (a) a point of contact for potential
election candidates (b) a point of contact for local or even national media and
(c) be part of a consultative group on practical issues. I probably already
have about ten volunteers, and I would propose to write to key people
personally and ask them to volunteer, or suggest one of their colleagues. These
would be Leaders of Independent Groups on Councils,

b.I suggest that we call the group of Area Co-ordinators
the Forum.

c.I am willing for the next year to be National
Co-ordinator and recruit and co-ordinate, and aim by next conference to have
say 30 Area Co-ordinators to cover the country.

d.As the number of Area Co-ordinators grows (or
even now) we could appoint four Regional Co-ordinators (for say England, Wales,
Scotland and N Ireland) to assist in recruiting and consulting.

4.Affiliates:
There was support for the idea
of ‘Affiliates’, local groups of
Independents, who would pay a subscription.

a.It was agreed that individuals could also be
‘Affiliates’ and pay a subscription.

b.At some stage the Affiliates would vote on the
future direction of IN.

c.It was agreed that those who have at some time been
elected as Independents have a right to try and control the image of
‘Independents’.

d.An
Independent is somebody who does not take a Party whip. Therefore a key
question for any local Party affiliating is whether they insist on whipping
their elected councillors. If they do, they cannot affiliate.

5.Endorsement: I note:

a.If elected Independents and those who support
the concept of Independents in government (but do not want to stand for
election) put money into IN, then it is not unreasonable for IN (a) to have an
endorsement process for election candidates (b) to stop people claiming falsely
to be IN candidates and (c) to cancel the affiliation of those who cease to be
Independents or bring the reputation of Independents into disrepute.

b.Endorsement of local election candidates should
be the responsibility of locally elected Independents, co-ordinated by the Area
Co-ordinator. Only if there is disagreement or an issue of principle should an
individual candidate be brought to the attention of the Forum.

6.Resources:
it was agreed that the
following resources could be provided by IN:

a.Election
Support: this would include an
updated version of Elections on a
Shoestring, ideas for leaflet design, rosettes

b.Media
Coverage: national media
promotion of the advantages of electing Independents, responding to questions
from the media, providing people to interview or speakers for events.

c.Training: training courses for public speaking, door knocking, handling local
media, use of social media to attract votes.

e.Legal
Advice: we should investigate
how we can provide free legal advice to Affiliates, perhaps through solicitors
or counsel willing to do some pro bono work.

f.Brochure: we need a simple brochure, perhaps ‘What can
IN do for me?’ for (a) candidates (b) elected Councillors (c) and supporters.
It should list the Council of Reference, the Bell Principles and the Area Co-ordinators.

g.Strapline: I quite like the People not Party, Principles not Politics suggested by East
Cheshire. [Others are not so sure]

h.Ward
Times: there is a facility
through the Ward Times website for any Ward to set up a website for community
communication.

i.Trademark: we could register our emblem as a Trademark.
This could be a white rosette with some purple (?) lettering in the centre on a
white background and a small IN logo.

7.Funding:
this is where we need a Working Party to come up with ideas and
implement them:

a.How
much do we need? We need to
have a part-time volunteer or paid Intern/staff member, and we need to decide
where we base an office.

b.Database: we already have the beginnings of a useful
database, by combining what I have and what Darren has. This can be enlarged,
perhaps using paid interns or part-timers. [This
is now well advanced, compiled in Access, listing every Post Code (first
three/four characters), Councils (not Town/Parish yet), Candidates, Supporters,
and we are adding in all the Councillors we can identify from the Internet.
From this we can link Post Codes to Area Co-ordinators and therefore to people
in the Area.]

c.Business
Plan: we need to have a vision
of where we could be in five years time, but it needs to be realistic and we
have to go at a sustainable pace.

d.Sources
of income:

i.Affiliate
Party Subscription: how many
might there be? Is £25 a suitable initial annual sub?

iii.Angels: do we try and find people who would give say
£250 pa but who would be named on the website, and we set this as a maximum
annual donation?

iv.Crowdfunding: great idea, but do we try it now or use the
London Elections as a launch when we have put some of these ideas in place?

e.Accounting:
I will talk to Brian Ahearne
about running all the accounting on QuickBooks, so we have all the data in one
place. [Now agreed]. I can email
reports to anybody either as Excel or .pdfs at any time. We need to have
transparency, and I have no problem with a monthly Statement of Financial
Affairs on the website, but this might be a hostage to fortune so we might
restrict it to Area SCo-ordinators only.

f.I suggest the Working Party should be few in
number, perhaps no more than five, and we communicate by email but may have to
meet a couple of times to hammer out issues where there are differences of
opinion.

8.Annual
Conference: should we have a
conference at Party Conference time, or to coincide with the LGA conference as
suggested? This should be the time we report on progress over the past year,
and make or confirm appointments as Co-ordinators and so forth.

9.Governance:
I think this will have to be
worked out in practice, and perhaps proposals be put to the Conference in
Autumn 2014. We could send out proposals
to all the Affiliates and ask them to vote on them before the Conference.

10.Identity:
there was some unease about
the use of the word ‘brand’, but:

a.what everybody seemed to want was that (a)
Independents have a higher profile (b) the media gives Independents a fair
share of coverage and comment and (c) there should be a way on the Ballot Paper
to identify ‘good’ Independents from ‘bad’ Independents.

b.Once we have our act together and are beginning
to gain credibility it may be that we have to start a campaign to get the
Electoral Commission to allow something on the Ballot Paper to identify an IN
Independent.

c.We have no policies, and this is a real problem
when the media ask for, say, Independent policy on Europe. Do we give them two
names: one Independent who is pro-Europe and one who is against?

d.However, if we could agree to have a campaign
to change the rules on Ballot Papers, then could we also have a campaign to
level the playing field at elections for Independents and small parties? In
terms of obligations to put up manifestoes in Polling Stations, supplying
voters manifestoes with Postal Voting forms, putting all the manifestos on a
Local Authority website and so forth. The issue of multi-Member Wards is an
issue for small parties.

e.A campaign for a level playing field is one
campaign, but the more important one is to get more people and more young
people to vote. We need ideas on this, and perhaps research on whether the idea
of an Independent appeals to young people. This brings us back to: ‘But how do
I know what the Independent stands for?’

11.Finally,
Back to Branding: I suggest:

a.I think IN is being asked to (a) establish a
‘place’ where enquirers, potential election candidates and the media can go to
find out about Independents and (b) to start to build a picture in the public
perception that Independents are a great alternative to Party Politics.

b.I propose that I be allowed to (a) recruit a
team of five people to work through these ideas, (b) recruit Area Co-ordinators,
(c) recruit Affiliates, and (d) organise a National Conference in Autumn 2014
where the actions during the year can be reviewed and (e) bring to Conference a
realistic Business Plan for IN for the next five years.

Thursday, 2 January 2014

1. Cllr
Marianne Overton,
Chair of the LGA and Hendon Group, welcomed everybody to the Conference. She reminded us that there were over two
thousand Independent Councillors in England and Wales, and although this
included some UKIP, Green and Plaid Cymru Councillors, 80% were pure
Independents. By “Pure Independents” she
meant Councillors that do not take a Party Whip. She noted that even the Greens in Brighton
operate without a Party Whip, and this ability to operate without a Whip is a
defining characteristic of Independents.

2. Those
attending were invited to introduce themselves and explain their interest in
Independent politics.

3. Cllr
Overton then presented an overview of Local Government politics and how
Independents fit into the big picture.
The LGA, which is funded by the Government, supports approximately
20,000 elected Councillors in England and Wales. Almost all Councils are involved with the
LGA. Cllr Overton reminded us that about
one third of the House of Lords are Cross Bench Peers who are Independent, and
do not take a Whip.

4. There
are four groups at the LGA: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and
Independents. Cllr Overton chairs the
Independent Group, and noted that in recent years there has been an increase in
the LGA sending an Independent Councillor to make the case for the LGA to
Central Government. Generally
Independent Councillors are of a high calibre, they are in touch, they
understand the electorate, and they are experienced and articulate.

5. Also
in recent years there has been concern among all the Party Groups about the
increasing demands and decreasing incomes for Local Councils. There is a need to “re-wire Local Government”,
and although Cllr Overton was arguing this case several years ago, there is now
agreement among the four Party Groups that local government has to be free of central
control. There has to be more
“independence” for Local Councillors, which means weakening the links with the
National Parties in order to champion the concerns of local people.

6. Cllr
Overton noted that in Denmark even the utilities come under the Local Council,
and there is now a determination throughout the LGA that the Councillors have
to take power and run Local Government in accordance with the desires of the electorate. When campaigning on the doorstep, it is what has been done locally that is
what sells the candidate to the voter.

7. It
is therefore very important that we raise the profile of Independents. Cllr Overton suggested we need to clarify our
identity, and our USP should be “We Just Want To Get The Job Done”. There needs to be increasing engagement:
Independents are generally well connected with the community, and they need to
continue to work on this. Get involved
in U3A, Mother and Toddler Groups, local businesses, but what the voter wants
to know is what you have done for me?

8. The
LGA has produced a booklet about “Talent
Spotting”. If we are looking for
potential Independent candidates, where do we start? Cllr Overton suggested we look in the village
newsletters or parish magazines and see who is mentioned? We need then to find these people and talk to
them about the possibility of them standing as Independents.

9. Cllr
Overton believes that if we are skilled and well informed, and we have a clear
strategy, then we will achieve electoral success. However, Independent candidates need a network of support. Once elected, the LGA Independent
Group provides a range of support and services to Independent Councillors.

10. Cllr
Overton identified a number of issues where Independents need to speak out, and
indeed are able to speak out because they do not have a Whip. She highlighted in particular the huge growth
in housing that is planned, but this is being planned without thought for
infra-structure. Roads, health,
education - there is no Central Government money to come with the proposed
growth in housing development.

11. Although
there have been high profile Independents like Siobhan Benita who was a
respected Independent Candidate in the London Mayor election, and the hugely
successful Police Commissioner’s elections where 53% voted for Independents,
which was more than any other Party, yet the BBC still has not grasped the
significance of Independents. At recent
discussions between the BBC and the LGA the BBC had no idea that seven or eight
Councils are actually run by Independents.
In 2013 elections, there are now 13 Councils in no overall control which is up by a third. So there is plenty for Independents to shout
about in the media.

12. What
are the characteristics of an Independent Councillor? As she surveys the Independents that have
been elected, Cllr Overton sees a very diverse group. She finds they are in
touch with the voters, they listen, and they are responsive.

13. How
should Independents want to be seen?
Cllr Overton thought they should be well researched, thoughtful, have a
good common sense approach with good ideas, in touch with local people, and
effective in areas where their help is requested.

14. However,
Independents are very often flying alone.
Would we all not be much more effective if we were able to work together
as a team?

15. Professor
Colin Copus then made
a presentation about the current state of local politics. He asked the question: Do we need to have a
registered political party for Independents?
Who do the media go to if they want to find out about Independents? Who would they ask? Would this be Cllr Overton at the LGA? Would it be Dr Richard Taylor? This is an issue that we have to try and
address today.

16. It
is in Local Government that Independents have had their greatest success. Professor Copus invited everybody to use
Twitter as a means of keeping in touch with what is going on. Even though he himself found this slightly
challenging, he did recognise the power of the medium.

17. Professor
Copus outlined the structure in Local Government and reminded us that there are
9,000 Parish Councils as well as the County, Unitary, Metropolitan Boroughs and
District Councils. It is estimated that
there are 90,000 Town and Parish Councillors.

18. One
thing Professor Copus said we could predict is that at the next Local
Government election there will be Conservative losses. Irrespective of how good a Local Councillor
might be, many people still vote locally on national issues and perceptions. After the 2013 elections there were 8,561
Conservative Councillors, 6033 Labour, 2516 Lib Dem, 175 UKIP, 143 Green and
1067 Pure Independents. In other words,
out of 17,110 Councillors 92% come from one of the three major Parties.

19. Professor
Copus said this is unlikely to change very much. In Norway the major Parties take 96% of the
vote, but there are six of them instead of three as in the UK. The 8% (1510 Councillors) who are not in one
of three major Parties or the Minor Parties comprise 1067 Independents, 32 from
six small Parties (excluding Greens, Plaid Cymru, SNP and UKIP) and 93
residents association and local Parties.

20. Professor
Copus noted that looking at the mayoral and PCC elections, there does seem to
be some connection between a direct election and Independent success. However this needs further research. He noted that of the PCCs elected, a quarter
are Independents.

21. There
are 334 registered parties and political associations. It is often pointed out that it is difficult
to know where an Independent stands in terms of right or left, but Professor
Copus pointed out that the same applies to Labour and Conservative: you can
have a right wing Labour candidate and a left wing Conservative candidate.

22. Getting
elected is hard graft, and you have to use your networks. Party labels make the Party and the voters
lazy. Professor Copus warned that you know that the Parties will come to get
to you if you are standing as an Independent, and you should not be surprised
by this and you should expect it.

23. There
was a question about UKIP, and whether they could be considered to be a threat,
and what could be done? Cllr Overton
said that there is no one rule that will work everywhere. In Lincolnshire they had had experience of
the changing dynamics brought about by UKIP, and through her work at the LGA
Cllr Overton knows that UKIP are making policies for Local Government, and in
spite of what it says on their website, they are increasingly less likely to be
Independents in practice.

24. Professor
Copus was asked what we do about coalitions?
He pointed out that UKIP had done the very inconvenient thing by
winning, but he felt that this should be treated by all Councillors as a potential
opportunity. Some questions from the
floor expressed concern about the LGA being associated with UKIP, but there are
only four possible options for a Councillor to join an LGA Group.

25. Professor
Copus pointed out the situation in Bristol where the elected Mayor decided to
put together a cabinet of all the talents.
Although initially Labour did not take up the three seats they were
offered, they subsequently did this and this is an interesting experiment.

26. Professor
Copus noted that across Europe we have the largest units of Government. He also noted that Independents do far better
across Europe, perhaps because of this.
He felt that there had been some bad decisions in the past where we had
deleted locality from Local Government.
There had been amalgamations and re-naming which instead of building
community had had the effect of weakening community.

27. Therefore
Professor Copus felt that those in Local Government should be arguing the case
for strong links with the community, where localism means local decision making which reflects the wishes of the community. There may well be single issues or important
local issues and therefore the governing capacity of the Council is important
and must be able relate to real and identifiable communities.

28. Professor
Copus also noted that we have a highly centralised system, and we need to break
the link with the centre in order to re-invigorate local politics.

29. Professor
Copus argued that the electorate want to see a principled approach to
politics. The freedom that is enjoyed by
Independents does lead to more open public deliberation of issues. Party political groups that appear united
have a better chance of winning a particular decision, but this is not
something that appeals to Independents.
Independents prefer that there are no preconceived ideas or decisions,
and that there should be an open and transparent debate. However
this does not mean that a little bit of coherence between Independents will not
help the common good, and careful tactics and focus to work together can be an
advantage in achieving the aspirations of the electorate.

30. There
is a difficult question when more than one Independent stands in an election
for a particular ward, division or constituency. There was no consensus on what
we do in such a case, or indeed if anything should be done.

31. Cllr
Darren Hayday
introduced himself and his background. He
is a marketing professional, and has specialised in tele-marketing. In the election in the summer he believed he
was the only candidate who did actively use tele-campaigning.

32. As
Mayor of High Wycombe it was his privilege to get weighed every year, and in
the year he was Mayor he lost 2 stone.
However he had become tired of Party politics.

33. He
noted that in his experience UKIP are now being whipped, and therefore it is
not right to consider them as Independents in any way.

34. Cllr
Hayday ran through various options such as Facebook and Twitter, e-mail login
and digital PR. He had bought an e-mail
list of affluent people of a certain age in his ward and had found this was a
useful tool. In his view there is no one method that is more effective than any others,
but a successful campaign has to be a hybrid of a whole variety of options.

35. Cllr
Hayday would like to see the Independent Network experimenting with crowd
funding. Campaigns cost money, as does
an infra-structure for a support office such as the Independent Network would
like to set up.

36. It
is imperative that you have a website in your name so that when people do a
search for you they can quickly find you.
Login has to be meaningful: people have to read it, and it has to be a
two-way conversation.

37. Cllr
Hayday is convinced that there is no alternative to knocking doors, getting to
know people, and getting them to know you.

38. The
importance of getting hold of marked registers was noted. This will enable you
to set up a database of people within your ward so that you can see who votes
and who does not, and you can focus your efforts accordingly.

39. Dr
Richard Taylor
suggested that knocking on doors was not the only way of getting known: outside
school gates, a town centre market, and other places where people congregate
are also very suitable. He had
experimented with a “money for nothing” scheme where essentially people paid £5
a month and there is a draw each month for a cash prize. This raises a considerable amount for the
Local Party.

40. There
was considerable discussion about branding, about the use of digital marketing,
social media and LinkedIn.

41. After
lunch the Conference turned to the practical issues of how we move
forward. The session started with Dr
Richard Taylor arguing that IN should register as a Political Party. His experience was that this was the only way
to raise awareness, and he himself had set up two Parties. The Independent Network would have the
acronym TIN, and candidates can say that you get exactly what it says on the
TIN.

j) Neglect the rich, the
obsessed, the tabloids and seek out the silent voices.

Obviously the one about
honouring your Party is difficult for Independents, but Paul Flynn goes on to
suggest some additional Commandments or recommendations in order to restore
trust:

a) Understate promises and
never exaggerate successes

b) Reply within 24 hours to
all messages

c) Be transparent and
puritanical with allowances and expenses

d) Avoid serving commercial
or partial interest

e) Generously give time and
enthusiasm to local causes

f) Never accept personal
favours or advantages

g) Always pay for meals or
souvenir gifts

h) Put all excess income
above salary in a charity trust fund

i) Never lie, tell
half-truths or mis-lead

j) Keep constituents
informed on key issues

k) Deflect criticism with
truth and honour

l) Admit failures

m) Decline complaints that
are beyond responsibility or competence

n) Match behaviour to
idealised self-image

o) Resist immediate
gratification, seek permanent reforms

p) Strive to give
unambiguous answers to questions

q) Choose simplicity and
utility over luxury and extravagance.

43. Brian
Ahearn gave a history
of the Independent Network from prior to the 2005 General Election. He explained the endorsement process that had
been followed in order to try and give a higher profile to good Independents by
presenting a group to the media. There
was discussion about the Bell Principles, and what it means to be a registered
third party with the Electoral Commission.
Brian agreed that the endorsement process had been flawed, and there is
a constant wariness about extremists at either end of the political spectrum. However much had been learnt from the process
at the last General Election. Each
person wanting endorsement had been asked to produce a campaign plan and two
references. However it was the Executive
who made the final decision and it had been quite a time consuming process.

44. There
is a question as to who talks on behalf of IN?
There is a great danger that somebody by a slip of the tongue may imply
a policy position, which of course is an impossibility for IN. Dr Taylor noted that unless there was a
change in the law it would be impossible for IN to make a Party Political
Broadcast. It was also noted that there
is a wide variety of Local Independent Parties.

45. There
was a discussion about what people expected of IN. Ideas suggested were that it should be a professional body or a trade union, a resource centre for Local Independent Parties, we are a “Party” of
principles not policies, there should be maximum
flexibility, there should be penalties
for misbehaviour, and IN should be an umbrella
organisation which pulls together a diverse range of Independents who do
not take a Whip, but who need a national voice.

46.Professor
Copus said that the discussion he was listening to was probably very similar to
the discussion that took place at the meeting that set in train the formation
of the Labour Party. It was the
principles that held it all together then, and the same should be true for IN.

47. Professor
Copus also pointed out that 1% of the population are members of political Parties,
and 92% vote in elections for Parties.
There is such a mis-match here that something has to change.

48. It
was agreed that Cllr Thornton would draft an action paper and circulate
it. People asked for e-mail addresses to
be circulated. The paper would
essentially set out that for the present we would use the resources of the
Hertford office, we would set up regional contacts, a steering group, we would
look for an event in February to support candidates in the London borough
elections, and we would aim for an autumn Party Conference.

49. The
Conference concluded at 3pm, and Cllr Thornton thanked everybody for making
time to attend. There was a collection
for expenses which yielded £95 towards the cost of the Conference.

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

If we have lost trust in our politicians and political parties, how are we going to govern ourselves? What might reform and rejuvenate our politics?

Recently I went to a talk in London by veteran American campaigner Jim Wallis, and I think his proposal of a return to the old concept of ‘the Common Good’ could be the fifth thread of possibility for a faster revival of Independents in local and national politics.

Independents are able to speak out, but have often not been listened to because people do not know what they believe or what they stand for. Independents are not a political party, they do not have policies.

But over the last few years, as the Independent Network has discussed and experimented, four threads of possibility have emerged:

Honest Politics – we have set the Bell Principles as the standard by which we believe Independents should act in local and national politics.

It’s the Person not the Party – we encourage candidates to promote their campaign by getting prominent local people to endorse them, write about them, commend them: in this way, rather than the Independent Candidate asking to be believed and trusted on their own assessment of their own competence, the Candidate is calling on independent evidence from known trusted sources.

Improve the Election Process – Political Parties have the benefit of members who can deliver leaflets, so the election process is weighted against the small parties and Independents. Very often people will vote by post without seeing many of the candidate manifestoes. Independents can set better standards by setting up a website and posting up all the candidates’ manifestoes, by working with other candidates to share deliveries, by persuading more voters to vote by post only after looking at all the candidates, and to campaign for manifestoes to be included with postal voting forms.

The Party Party – a Political Party is also a social network, where people enjoy working together on a shared interest. Many enjoy talking about politics, but do not like the idea of commitment to any one political party. ‘Politics for All’ meetings are a way of inviting anybody (including members of all the political parties) to a social event that will include wide ranging debates on local and national issues. Through such meetings, people with an interest but no commitment can find out how to get involved.

None of these four threads address the issue: but what do Independents stand for or believe?

Perhaps Wallis’s revisiting of the Common Good as a rallying point for political activism is a possible fifth thread that would make up a platform for Independents under the banner of Honest Politics and the Common Good. Wallis does not advocate utilitarianism, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, as Bentham put it. The Common Good has to take into account individual rights and the rights of minorities, so for an Independent Politician there will need to be constant listening and negotiation.

The Independent politician will need to be a leader and an advocate, a person willing and able to argue the case for a minority against vested interests and big business, a person able to persuade and inspire. Politics is not a clean game. It is messy and by its very nature requires compromise and fudge. Maintaining personal integrity is a major challenge for an Independent politician, and so having an over-arching vision of the Common Good will help set a framework and a compass when in situations with conflicting demands.

So how do these Five Threads of Possibility sound to you?

•Honest Politics

•Person not Party

•Improve the Election Process

•Politics for all, we know how to Party

•Our Policy is the Common Good of our nation and community

All of this works best at a local level – Parish, Town and District Council. When it gets to County, National and European levels, there is a need for political parties that are shorthand for a specific type of policies. However, as coalition becomes more likely, the Independent or group of Independents all focused on the over-arching Common Good can have great influence, out of all proportion to their numbers.

Tuesday, 3 May 2011

In at least 14 local authorities Independents are fielding more candidates than the Liberal Democrats.

Independents do not enjoy the support or coordination of a national party, however in 14 councils where candidates have affiliated with the Independent Network, independents are fielding more candidates than their Lib Dem counterparts. The Liberal Democrats have fielded no candidates for Uttoxeter Town Council, Halstead Town Council, Nantwich Town Council, Buntingford Town Council, Castlepoint Borough Council, Morley Town Council and Melton Borough Council.

In Stoke on Trent City Council 52 independent candidates are being fielded as opposed to only 43 Lib Dems. In Boston Borough Council 30 independents are being fielded as opposed to 5 Lib Dems. A particularly stark contrast is found in Morley Town Council where 24 independent are standing for election with no Lib Dem contenders.

Sitting Liberal Democrat councillors have also been resigning their party membership ahead of standing for re-election. In Eastleigh Borough Council Cllr Moore quit the Lib Dems to form the ‘Independent Party of Eastleigh Candidates’.

Cllr Moore’s election leaflets state:

‘The trouble with being in a National Political Party is you have to go along with the Party line… even if that line is not honest. As Independents we do not have to toe anyone’s line. We can represent YOU honestly. […] And we are not alone. A long-serving Lib Dem Borough Councillor in Romsey (10 years Sandra Gidley MP’s Researcher) has declared Independent. There are 10 Lib Dem councillors on the Isle of Wight who are now Independent and so many more up and down the country. We are growing in strength. Don’t throw away your vote on people who lie to you.”

Martin Bell OBE – supporter of the Independent Network – the only political organisation to support independent candidates at all levels of government said:

“This is a time for independents to challenge the politics of the status quo; it is a time for independent candidates either to stand together in Independent Groups or to help in the campaigns of others. It is a time for the election of independents, without party baggage but with real world experience, to be a force for honest politics in local government. They will be answerable not to a political party but only to their constituents and their consciences.”

Monday, 18 April 2011

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill is currently progressing through Parliament. Once passed we – the public – will have the opportunity to elect the Police and Crime commissioner of our local police force. A local police force can cover large areas both urban - such as Greater Manchester – and rural such as Devon and Cornwall constabulary.

Independents – more than any other political grouping – know the importance of democratic representation free from political compromise or control.

If the top job within the police force were decided through democratic election rather than the current system should be based on meritocracy and appointment from the top would our police force be more or less politically controlled?

The hope is that a Commissioner elected by local people would have to respond to the needs of those people if she or he is to have a hope of election. This – the theory goes – would be better than an Police Commissioner appointed partly due to his or her success within the police force and partly due to his or her ability to please the superiors. Both versions – appointment or election – will depend upon the candidates’ ability to play a political game. They currently must impress those in charge whilst gaining the respect of those they lead. If they are to be elected they will need to be able to communicate the aims and objectives of the police force to their local community which will require their aims to reflect – more closely – the hopes and aims of their communities. However – their democratic election campaign may depend on the support of an outside organisation such as a political party. This connection may compromise their ability to represent their communities, and only their communities, as they may be drawn to follow their political party to keep them in a job.

The Government has said that no money will be made available for independent Police and Crime commissioner candidates. Instead it is expected that the majority of candidates will be backed – officially or unofficially – by a political party. However – even within party political ranks – there is awareness that a politicised police force would be bad news for both democracy and justice. Douglas Carswell MP – a Conservative politician – wrote on his blog: “I suspect there will be a strong appetite among voters for independent candidates - or at least independent-minded ones. Political parties should be wary of simply putting up party insiders for the role. They'd be wiser to either endorse a suitable independent contender - or hold an open primary contest of some sort to allow everyone a say over who gets to be the candidate.”

The Independent Network supports independent candidates who can demonstrate their commitment to the Bell Principles. It is clear that for a Police Commissioner commitment to these principles would stand them in good stead to represent their local area with integrity and justice. The fear of electing a Police Commissioner lies in the fact that if they are a party political candidate they will follow their party’s policies before responding to their constituent’s needs. If this were the case then the floodgates may be opened for party political insiders to gain the top job due to the resource benefits that belonging to a political party can lend to an election campaign.

As independents it is our duty to scrutinise each candidate based on their commitment to the Bell Principles – especially to plurality and non-discrimination, and to be guided by considered evidence, our real world experience and expertise, our constituencies and our consciences. A democratically elected Police Commissioner governed by such a code of conduct would be of benefit to his or her local police force.

At the Independent Network we will do our best to support such non-party political candidates and to campaign for maximum transparency when elections occur to ensure that party political candidates campaign on a level playing field with their independent counterparts.

What do you think about the prospect of an elected Police Commissioner? We welcome your comments below. And check out these links for articles that come down both for and against the proposals for the abolition of the Police Authority and the introduction of democratically elected Police Commissioners.

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Yesterday we had a look at how the political parties are preparing for the Local Elections 2011. With all of this talk of Big Society we imagined an intense focus on this opportunity to represent local concerns and stand up for our communities. After all that is the purpose of politics. You can imagine how surprised we were, therefore, that not one of the high profile parties' had any mention of the fast approaching local elections on their homepage.

Approximately 45 million people will have the opportunity to go to the polls on Thursday 5th May.

If political parties aren't even interested in local politics maybe people need to look at their alternatives. Independent candidates are the only alternative to party politics. Find your local candidate today.

About Me

The Independent Network (IN) is a loose association that provides support to political candidates that are not members of traditional political parties or organised factions.
The IN does not impose any political views on the individuals it supports, or that support the IN. However, affiliates of the IN must be non-discriminatory and adhere to The Nolan Committee's recommendations on Standards in Public Life.